Toy traffic signal



June 2, 1970 M. APPEL 3,516,057

- TOY TRAFFIC SIGNAL Filed Sept. 5, 1967 2 Sheets- Sheet l INVENTQR' WHEEL June 2,1970 M. APPEL 3,516,057

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United States. Patent O TOY TRAFFIC SIGNAL Mel Appel, Livingston, N.J., assignor to Buddy L. Corp., East Moline, III., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 5, 1967, Ser. No. 665,557 Int. Cl. G08g 1/095 US. Cl. 340-44 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toy trafiic signal incorporating signalling indicia for controlling both pedestrian and vehicular traflic and in- 'cluding electrical means and a selective switch for illuminating the pedestrian and vehicular. signs in a predetermined pattern.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many toy manufacturers produce and sell a large variety of scale-model vehicles, in many cases based on well known full scale autos, trucks, earth-moving equipment and the like, and these are capable of being combined with various similarly scaled adjuncts to create simulated scenes, locales, etc. The present inventiion provides a small-scale trafiic signal useful in these areas to carry out and lend realism to the environment.

SUMMARY OF THE, INVENTION 'The trafiic signal preferably comprises'a hollow base adapted to contain one or more dry-cell batteries and to support thereon a pedestrian control box including wait and walk signs and in addition a'vehicularcontrol box including the usual combination of red, yellow and green lenses. The signs arid lenses are illuminable by means of separate lamps adequately compartmented and connected in a plurality of parallel electrical circuits with selector switch means so that sequences of lighting can be accomplished according to a predetermined pattern established by the arrangement of the circuits with the switch means, which is of the rotary type operated in step-by-step fashion 'by 'a spring-biased plunger accessible from outside the base so asito make use and operation quite'easy'. I DESCRIPTION OF T HE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevation of the signal;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view as seen along the line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section as seen generally along the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a section as seen along the line 5--S of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view of one side of the switch disk as seen along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG; 7 is a view from the opposite side of the disk;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary section of a portion of the switch as seen from the direction opposite to FIG. 5

' FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the base with the cover and battery removed;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary section of one of the compartments of the vehicular box as seen along the line 1010 of FIG. 2;

- FIG. 11 is a fragmentary section of the pedestrian box as seen along the line 1111 of FIG. 2; and FIG. 12 is a-schematic view of the electrical circuits.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The structure is made to a relatively small scale, preferably about eight to ten inches in height and may be suit- 3,516,057 Patented June 2, 1970 "ice ably made of any of the well known plastics or like material known to the toy and allied industries. It has a base 20 and a standard 22 fixed to and rising from the base. The standard carries a pedestrian warning or control box 24 and a vehicular warning or control box 26. As best seen in FIG. 11, the box 24 is divided into upper and lower compartments 28 and 3-0 by a metal conductor plate 32 retained at its edges by grooves 34. Lamps 36 and 3 8 are mounted respectively in the compartments 28 and 30, preferably by having their electrical conductors or wires (to be described later) clipped to the upper and lower faces of the plate 32 by appropriate tabs 40. As seen in FIG. 1 the upper compartment is closed by a translucent or illuminable vertical sign 42 that bears the word WAIT, it being understood that a similar WAIT sign closes the upper compartment from the opposite side of the box 24. The lower compartment of this box is closed at diametrically opposed sides by signs 44, each of which bears the work WALK, only one of these, however, appearing in the drawing.

A preferred arrangement is to dispose the control box 26 at a height above the box 24. The box 26 has three cells or compartments, one of which is shown in FIG. '10 at 46 to illustrate the construction for all three. The upper compartment is separated from the one below it and so on as by a divider wall 48 formed integral with the box structure, as by being of molded plastic. The upper compartment carries a lamp 50 which serves to illuminate a pair of diametrically opposed lenses 52 (FIG. 1), here colored red, appropriately cemented or otherwise mounted in suitable openings in the wall structure of the box. At 180 from the common axis of the red lenses there are a pair of green lenses 54 (FIG. 2). In the next lower compartment, the structure of which is the same as that already described, there are two pairs of yellow lenses 56 illuminable by a lamp 58 (FIG. 12), and in the lowermost compartment there are a pair of green lenses 60 (FIG. 1) and a pair of red lenses 62 (FIG. 2) on an axis 180 to that of the green lenses 60. A lamp '64 (FIG. 12) is provided in this lower compartment for illuminating the lenses '60 and 62. The three lamps 50, 58 and 64 are preferably retained in their respective compartments by having their wires embedded in the respective floor, as at 66 in FIG. 10. These wires or conductors will be described later.

The base 20 is hollow, being of inverted cup-shaped nature and having an open bottom 68 and integral interior Wall structure 70 which provides first and second compartments 72 and 74, the former being of rectangular section so as to house a dry cell battery 76 as a source of electrical energy for lighting the signal lamps. The opposite end walls of the battery compartment have grooves for receiving opposite battery terminals 78 and 80. The bottom is normally closed by a removable cover 82 retained in place as by screws 84 and itself having a removable door 86 which may be opened for access to the battery compartment 'without removing the entire cover. 1

The cover 82 is preferably of sheet metal and has aflixed thereto and rising therefrom a switch box 88 containing switch means designatedin its entirety by the numeral 90. The box or support 88 is mainly of metal but carries as one rigid Wall thereof a flat carrier element 92 of nonconducting material, the inner face of which carries a plurality of metal contacts configured according to the predetermined pattern of illumination of the signal lamps, asbest seen in FIG. 12. One of these contacts, numbered 94 is of relatively substantial arcuate extent and is connected by a wire 96 to the battery terminal 78, thus providing the hot side for several circuits in parallel which are selectively switched in from the contact 94 to a plurality of arcuately arranged contacts 98, 100, 102, and

104, it being noted that the contact 98 includes a central portion surrounded by the other contacts and that the contact 102 has a pair of legs 102a and 102b.

Selection among the sets of contacts to be bridged is achieved by a switch disk 106 to one side of which is afiixed a metallic switch or conductor blade 108 having two pairs of diametrically opposed fingers 110 (FIG. 6) adapted to travel over the contacts 94, 98, etc., as the disk is intermittently rotated on its shaft 112, which is journaled in the carrier 92 and the opposed Wall of the support 88. The side of the disk opposite to the blade 108 has a pluralityhere tenof ratchet lugs 114 (FIG. 7) adapted to be sequentially engaged by a pawl 116 carried by a vertically movable plunger 118 slidably carried by the switch box by means of upper and lower apertured guides 120 (FIG. 8). The pawl is shaped as shown and is fixed to the shank of the plunger 118 by a spacer sleeve 122 so that depression of the plunger and pawl causes angular movement of the disk, in the present case through increments one-tenth of a revolution each. The plunger is biased upwardly by a coil spring 124. The top wall of the base has an opening 126 therein through which the top end of the plunger projects so as to be easily accessible from outside the base. The top of the base has a semicircular index 128 thereon (FIG. 3) numbered from 1 through to show the sequential pattern produced by depressing and releasing the plunger five times to rotate the disk 106 through 180. The pattern is of course duplicated in the second halt-revolution of the disk.

The switch box carries a spring steel antireverse pawl 116a engageable successively with the ratchet lugs 114 on the disk 106 and the bias in the pawl also serves to urge the disk toward the contact carrier 92 so as to improve the contact between these contacts and the disk switch blade fingers 110.

As seen in FIG. 12, the battery terminal 80 has two wires 130 and 132 soldered thereto. The wire 130 leads and is soldered to the metal divider plate 34 in the pedestrian box 24 and short leads 134 and 136 are soldered to this plate and run respectively to the WAIT and WALK lamps 36 and 38. The opposite side of the WAIT lamp is connected by a wire 138 to the central contact 98 of the switch 90. The opposite side of the WALK lamp is connected by a wire 140 to the switch contact 100. These wires, like the others described and to be described, run from the base to the lamps via an opening 142 in the top of the base and in register with the tubular standard 22. The boxes 24 and 26 are of course hollow as already described so that the Wiring is completely concealed.

The other wire 132 from the battery terminal 80 leads to one side of each of the lamps 50, 58 and 64 in the vehicular box 26 via short leads 144, 146 and 148, respectively. The opposite side of the lamp 50 is connected by a wire 150 to the switch contact 104; the other side of the lamp 58 is connected by a wire 152 to the two-legged contact 102; and the remaining side of the lamp 64 is connected by a wire 154 to the contact 100, as is the wire 140 to the WAIT lamp 36. Connection of the wires is effected by soldering; although, any other method may be used.

OPERATION Looking now at the signal unit as seen in FIG. 1, the vehicular box 26 has an upper red or STOP signal, represented by the lens 52 and its lamp 50; a central CAU- TION or yellow signal represented by the lens 56 and its lamp 58; and a lowermost GO or green signal made up of the lower green lens '60 and its lamp 64. The pedestrian box reveals the upper WAIT sign and the lower WALK sign, illuminable respectively by the lamps 36 and 38 through the signs 42 and 44.

The numbered positions (FIG. 3) represent the following: No. 1, GO and WALK; No. 2, CAUTION and WAIT; No. 3, STOP and WAIT; No. 4, CAU- TION and WAIT; and No. 5, OFF. Considering these positions now with reference to the switch means occupies such position that the upper pair of its blade fingers engages the hot contact 94 and one of the fingers of the opposite lower pair engages the contact 100, thus energizing the two circuits 140 and 154 to the WALK and GO lamps 38 and 64, respectively. The circuits are completed of course by the wires and 132 to the battery terminal 80.

When the plunger 118 is depressed for a second time and released, the disk 106 is turned one-tenth of a revolution and the disk fingers of the upper pair 110 continue to engage the contact 94 and the other two fingers 110 engage the contacts 98 and 102a, thus completing new circuits to the CAUTION and WAIT lamps 36 and 58, respectively, through the wires 138 and 152. This is position No. 2.

Position No. 3 is attained by a third depression of the plunger to turn the disk again through 36 so that, with the upper fingers 110 on the disk still riding the contact 94, the other two fingers 110 engage the contacts 98 and 104, the innermost of the latter fingers of course retaining contact with the central part of the contact 98. This retains the circuit to the WAIT lamp via the wire 138 and completes a circuit to the STOP lamp 50 via the wire 150.

A fourth depression of the plunger produces position No. 4, in which the upper two fingers 110 of the disk retain contact wit-h the contact 94, one of the fingers of the other pair 110 retains contact with the central contact 98 and the other of these two fingers is switched over to the other leg 102b of the caution circuit 154, which is a repeat of position No. 2; i.e., CAUTION and WAIT.

Position No. 5 is off, because the fifth depression of the plunger 118 turns the disk 106 through another one-tenth of a revolution so that both pairs of fingers 110 leave the contacts 94, 98 and 102b and rest on the surface of the nonconductor element 92, completely clear of all contacts. This completes one-half revolution of the disk (five one-tenth turns) and the disk is now ready to repeat positions 1 through 5 as it is turned through another half-revolution, it being noted that the disk fingers 110 are symmetrically arranged so that during this second half-revolution the fingers 110 that were previously upperand lower-most will now be lowerand uppermost, respectively, and so on as the device is operated.

The invention provides a highly useful, attractive and intriguing toy and is so embodied that it may be economically and unitarily constructed of inexpensive, sturdy and colorful materials. The wiring is virtually concealed and access to the battery may be had without exposing the switch or those portions of the wiring Within the base. The pattern or sequence of signalling both pedestrians and vehicles and the ease of operation lends realism to the environment so that the device is quite readily adapted for use with similarly scaled vehicular and pedestrian toys.

I claim:

1. A toy electrical trafiic signal comprising a base, a standard fixed to and rising from the base, a pedestrian signal box carried by the standard and including a pair of illuminable signs and an electric lamp for each sign, a vehicular signal box carried by the standard and including a plurality of compartments and illuminable indicia and an electric lamp in each compartment, means in the base adapted for connection to a source of electrical energy and including a selector switch and a plurality of conductors connected among the lamps and the switch in a plurality of parallel circuits enabling lighting of the pedestrian and vehicular lamps in a predetermined pattern, said switch including a support having a flat switch carrier including contacts arranged arcuately about a central axis and connected to said circuits, a rotary switch disk carried by the support and having a switch blade adapted to selectively connect certain of said contacts as the disk is rotated, said disk having ratchet lugs thereon, and actuator means movably carried by the base and including a plunger mounted for depression and biased return and including a pawl sequentially engageable with the disk ratchet lugs upon successive depressions of the plunger.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 in which the switch support includes an antireverse pawl engageable with the disk lugs.

3. The invention defined in claim 2 in which said antireverse pawl is biased laterally against the disk to improve the engagement between the disk blade and the carrier contacts.

4. A toy electrical trafiic signal comprising a base, a standard fixed to and rising from the base, a pedestrian signal bov carried by the standard and including a pairof illuminable signs and an electric lamp for each sign, a vehicular signal box carried by the standard and including a plurality of compartments and illuminable indicia and an electric lamp in each compartment, means in the base adapted for connection to a source of electrical energy and including a selector switch and a plurality of conductors connected among the lamps and the switch in a plurality of parallel circuits enabling lighting of the pedestrian and vehicular lamps in a predetermined pattern, and actuator means movably carried by the base and operatively engageable with the switch means for selectively energizing said circuits, said base being hollow at least in part to provide a compartment having an open bottom, a battery housed in the compartment as the source of electrical energy, and a removable cover secured over said bottom, said switch and actuator means being carried by said cover for removal from the base along with said cover.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,941,185 6/1960 Mullikin 340--41 OTHER REFERENCES Wiley: Big Lighted Letters Feature New Pedestrian Signals, The American City, June 1955, pp. 171 and 173.

THOMAS B. HABECKER, Primary Examiner l C. M. MLARMEL'STEIN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 340-22 

